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Pasta vs. Sugar — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are pasta and sugar different?

  • Pasta has more vitamin B1, folate, iron, vitamin B2, manganese, copper, phosphorus, vitamin B3, and vitamin B12 than sugar.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin B1 for pasta is 17% higher.
  • Sugar has less cholesterol.
  • Pasta has a lower glycemic index (49) than sugar (65).

Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, plain, cooked and Sugars, granulated are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Pasta vs Sugar infographic
Infographic link

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Pasta
8
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 13% 1.8% 2.1% 43% 31% 15% 27% 0.78% 29% 0%
Sugar
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 0% 0.3% 0.18% 1.9% 2.3% 0.27% 0% 0.13% 0.52% 3.3%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +∞%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +500%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +1100%
Contains more IronIron +2180%
Contains more CopperCopper +1228.6%
Contains more ZincZinc +5500%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +∞%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +5500%
Contains less SodiumSodium -83.3%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Pasta
8
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 2% 0% 0% 52% 35% 19% 11% 7.8% 18% 0% 48% 0%
Sugar
0
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 4.4% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +689.5%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +∞%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin E ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin K ~0µg
~equal in Choline ~0mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Pasta
4
5% 25% 69%
Protein: 5.15 g
Fats: 1.05 g
Carbs: 24.93 g
Water: 68.56 g
Other: 0.31 g
Sugar
1
100%
Protein: 0 g
Fats: 0 g
Carbs: 99.98 g
Water: 0.02 g
Other: 0 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +∞%
Contains more FatsFats +∞%
Contains more WaterWater +342700%
Contains more OtherOther +∞%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +301%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Pasta Sugar
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated fat ok
Lower in price ok
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Rich in minerals ok
Rich in vitamins ok

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Pasta Sugar DV% diff.
Carbs 24.93g 99.98g 25%
Vitamin B1 0.209mg 0mg 17%
Folate 64µg 0µg 16%
Iron 1.14mg 0.05mg 14%
Calories 131kcal 387kcal 13%
Cholesterol 33mg 0mg 11%
Manganese 0.224mg 0.004mg 10%
Vitamin B2 0.15mg 0.019mg 10%
Copper 0.093mg 0.007mg 10%
Protein 5.15g 0g 10%
Phosphorus 63mg 0mg 9%
Vitamin B12 0.14µg 0µg 6%
Vitamin B3 0.992mg 0mg 6%
Zinc 0.56mg 0.01mg 5%
Magnesium 18mg 0mg 4%
Vitamin B5 0.183mg 0mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.034mg 0mg 3%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.429g 0g 3%
Fats 1.05g 0g 2%
Vitamin A 6µg 0µg 1%
Potassium 24mg 2mg 1%
Calcium 6mg 1mg 1%
Saturated fat 0.15g 0g 1%
Selenium 0.6µg 1%
Net carbs 24.93g 99.98g N/A
Sugar 99.8g N/A
Sodium 6mg 1mg 0%
Monounsaturated fat 0.124g 0g 0%
Tryptophan 0.065mg 0%
Threonine 0.134mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.197mg 0%
Leucine 0.348mg 0%
Lysine 0.097mg 0%
Methionine 0.079mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.247mg 0%
Valine 0.217mg 0%
Histidine 0.103mg 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Pasta Sugar
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
15%
Pasta
0%
Sugar
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
16%
Pasta
1%
Sugar

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Sugar
Sugar is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 33mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Sugar
Sugar contains less Sodium (difference - 5mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Sugar
Sugar is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.15g)
Which food is cheaper?
Sugar
Sugar is cheaper (difference - $2.9)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Pasta
Pasta is lower in Sugar (difference - 99.8g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Pasta
Pasta is lower in glycemic index (difference - 16)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Pasta
Pasta is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Pasta
Pasta is relatively richer in vitamins

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Pasta - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169728/nutrients
  2. Sugar - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169655/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.